Kitchen Incubators

WRC held its third Creative Chat on Thursday, November 13, at the Chris White Gallery that featured special guest Della Clark, President, The Enterprise Center. Clark walked attendees through the steps to initiate a successful culinary business. She shared the three driving principles that have led her to where she is today: faith, hope and charity.

Learn about the kitchen incubator model as it pertains to Wilmington’s Creative District as we welcome Della Clark, President, The Enterprise Center as the next speaker for WRC’s Creative Chat Series. Founded in 1989 by the Wharton Small Business Development Center, The Enterprise Center provides access to capital, building capacity, business education and economic development opportunities to high-potential, minority entrepreneurs. As a part of their business-acceleration initiatives, the Dorrance H. Hamilton Center for Culinary Enterprises (CCE) supports both established and start-up food businesses and food processors in need of commercial kitchen space and technical assistance.

Also featured will be Dan Sheridan from the Wilmington Pickling Company which concentrates on sourcing produce from local farms then creates the brine, fills and seals the jars and handles the distribution to a select group of markets throughout the state. Every bit of product in their jars are hand-picked, cut and packed with pride. As well as Dorks and Forks a new foodie podcast blending food and geek culture hosted by Brian Wild & Dan Sanchez.

Kitchen incubators, also known as culinary incubators, are small business units that provide space and equipment for start-up food enterprises. Business owners can rent these professional kitchen spaces at reasonable rates and obtain necessary licensing more easily than they would be able to for home kitchens due to liability concerns. Culinary incubators are also beneficial because they provide a space where food entrepreneurs can collaborate and share ideas. Depending on the incubator, additional services can be included, such as financial consulting. The overall concept of a kitchen incubator is to provide a space where a business can grow and eventually reach a stage where it can invest in its own kitchen facilities.